The Secret Symbolism Behind Lea & Perrins Paper Packaging

If you're looking for Worcestershire sauce at the grocery store, it's pretty easy to spot. The most well-known brand, Lea & Perrins, comes wrapped in paper. What many Americans don't realize however is that the packaging looks a lot different in the U.K., where most of the world's Lea & Perrins brand Worcestershire sauce is produced. The paper is completely absent — it's just an unwrapped jar with a label most Americans would consider unrecognizable at first glance. The only similarity is the text, and of course the contents of the bottle.

Though both labels state that Lea & Perrins is "the original" Worcestershire sauce, the American packaging, ironically, is the one that most resembles the condiment's earlier designs that included wrapping paper. So why is it that the U.K. branding evolved much more than the American one? The truth is, it originally had to do with practicality, though now the reason is somewhat different.

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce was first bottled in 1835, and thanks to commercial success the company began exporting it overseas only two years later in 1837. These first bottles looked a lot different from the current ones, as they were simply embossed with the brand and product name. Unfortunately, due to the fact that they were being transported by ship, many of these bottles ended up breaking during the voyage. After assessing the situation, Lea & Perrins made the important decision to wrap each bottle in paper so as to prevent breakage.

The paper barrier ended up working perfectly, and Lea & Perrins continues to export its Worcestershire sauce, now to more than 130 different countries. As you can probably guess, Lea & Perrins no longer has to ship its product via boat, which means the paper packaging is no longer necessary. But despite the fact that Lea & Perrins could easily do away with it, it's still used for its American sauce bottles.

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce was first introduced to the U.S. in 1839. During this time, bottles were still imported by boat, and therefore the paper packaging was an iconic part of its branding. Throughout the 1870s however, many businessmen were trying to piggyback off the success of Lea & Perrins' product. In 1879, the company sued a Wisconsin-based Worcestershire sauce producer for trademark infringement, but the judge didn't end up ruling in their favor. To set their product apart from imitators therefore, Lea & Perrins decided to continue manufacturing America-bound bottles with paper even after it was no longer needed.

Though much of the world's Worcestershire sauce is still imported from England, America now produces its own. The brand was acquired by Heinz in 2005, and is now produced in Heinz factories in the U.S. with the same paper packaging it had in the 1800s, signifying Lea & Perrins' long history of high quality Worcestershire sauce.